AERA task force co-chaired by Building Capacity Principal Investigator Ron Astor issues report on preventing bullying-thumb-402x590-49514.jpg)
The AERA Task Force on the Prevention of Bullying in Schools, Colleges, and Universities, which is co-chaired by Ron Avi Astor, just released a new report titled, “Prevention of Bullying in Schools, Colleges, and Universities: Research Report and Recommendations.” The report presents practical short-term and long-term recommendations to address bullying of children and youth.
The peer-reviewed report, presented as a series of 11 briefs, addresses legislative, policy and procedural matters with pragmatic and practical strategies for prevention of bullying. Read the report here.
Building Capacity Co-PI Helps to Shape Nation's Efforts to Prevent Tragedy
Dr. Marleen Wong, a clinical professor and the associate dean for field education in the USC School of Social Work, a co-principal investigator for the Building Capacity project. She is also one of the leading experts in the nation on trauma recovery in schools and was one of the first consultants brought in to work with school officials and families following the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.
Wong--who has developed mental health recovery and disaster training programs both in the U.S. and internationally--was asked to speak at a series of meetings beginning just days after the shooting, one of which included 850 law enforcement officials and educators from across the state.
"It was very daunting because it was such a high-profile event," she says.
Now Wong is helping to guide federal officials as they seek to create emergency management plans that will prevent gun violence at schools, universities and houses of worship and spell out the roles and responsibilities each person plays in carrying out these plans.
For the full story, see our May newsletter here.
"Building Capacity" in Action
Schools are using a variety of practices to support military-connected students and their families. The videos below are educating public schools on promising strategies and programs that support military-connected students. The videos were created as part of a joint collaborative effort between Building Capacity, the Consortium of eight military-connected school districts and Command Media, a wounded warrior organization. These three-to-five minute videos encourage other schools to implement programs that assist military families through transitions, deployments and other challenges.
We have included the following videos addressing the various topics that are important to military families. Click on the title of each video to find out more and view the full video gallery here.
Resource Guides Now Available
Our four resource guides on supporting military children in public schools are now available from Teachers College Press at Columbia University. Each guide is based on research and written specifically for teachers, school administrators, pupil personnel, and parents. The books have been endorsed by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, the Military Child Education Coalition and leading experts in education, social work, and psychology. Each guide can be used as a text in university and school district training programs and outlines how school professionals and parents can create a supportive school setting that helps military children thrive.
The books focus on practical strategies that can be implemented to make students feel welcome and connected. Educators, school districts, universities, and school liaison officers are already using many of the strategies highlighted to create supportive school settings for military children.
Building Capacity is a partnership between eight military-connected school districts and USC. Funded by a grant from the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), the project is creating sustainable and replicable infrastructures for data-driven models of responsive and supportive schools. Staff, students, and parents are being empowered to use evidence to improve school climate for military students.
Building Capacity Highlights
- The Building Capacity team released two reports summarizing the second year of our project. The first report is our Annual Report which describes all our activities for policy makers and the general public. The second report is a detailed technical evaluation that includes an independent empirical evaluation of programs and training components developed during year two of the project.
- Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC), the Building Capacity in Military-Connected Schools project at USC and the USC Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans and Military Families (CIR) hosted a successful California Public Engagement.
- Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, visited USC to learn more about the Building Capacity project.
- San Diego State University joined USC in placing interns in military-connected schools. Regional workshops brought training on school safety and threat assessment to both interns and school staff members.
- The California Healthy Kids Survey was changed to ask all students whether they have a parent or caretaker in the military.
- Interns were provided training in a modified, school-based version of the FOCUS program from experts at UCLA.
- The Navy's Family Readiness Express (FRE) visited several schools in the Consortium.
- Undergraduates in UCSD's Partners at Learning (PAL) program provided tutoring to students in military-connected schools.
- Following the Newton, CT shooting, the American Council for School Social Work (ACSSW) shared a Trauma Resources Document.
- In response to the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, a position statement of the Interdisciplinary Group on Preventing School and Community Violence, co-authored by Dr. Ron Astor and endorsed by more than 200 prevention scholars and practitioners was released in December 2012.
- California Healthy Kids Survey
- Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans and Military Families, USC School of Social Work
- Hamovitch Center for Science in the Human Services, USC School of Social Work
- USC School of Social Work
- School Liaison Officers, Camp Pendleton, Marine Corps
- School Liaison Officers, Naval Base, San Diego
CONNECT WITH BUILDING CAPACITY!
